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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25770388">Invisible Strings</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RejectsCanon/pseuds/RejectsCanon'>RejectsCanon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Of Love and Tea Leaves [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Showing Love through Food, Sokka wants Valentine's Day to be perfect, Valentine's Day, Zuko just wants to spend time with him, and he's determined to bake something special for Zuko, and the word counter laughed in my face, i went into this thinking it would be 3000-4000 words, it may be the middle of summer but that won't stop me from writing winter fics, one of Sokka's love languages is his baking, pure fluff, they're very soft for each other, this tea shop/bakery au has turned into a series now</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:33:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,433</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25770388</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RejectsCanon/pseuds/RejectsCanon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sokka is stressed. </p><p>Maybe not completely stressed. He’s definitely been more stressed out before, and he definitely has more important things to worry about. But, this particular thing involves Zuko and so Sokka’s gonna be stressed about it. Katara thinks he’s being stupid for stressing. Aang is too kind to ever say that anyone is stupid, but he also thinks Sokka is overreacting. </p><p>But Valentine’s Day is soon, and Sokka is going to stress about it no matter what they say. </p><p> </p><p>Or,<br/>Sokka wants to show he cares about Zuko through his baking, and tries to find something that Zuko loves for Valentine's Day. Spoiler: Zuko already knows that Sokka cares, but indulges him anyway.</p><p>(May be a part 2, but reading part 1 isn’t necessary, though it would make me happy lol)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aang/Katara (mentioned), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Of Love and Tea Leaves [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1869442</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>65</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>667</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Invisible Strings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Here's part 2 of my tea shop!Zuko and baker!Sokka fic that exactly one (1) person asked for. Please ignore the fact that it is currently summer, I made the dumbass decision to make the first part of this fic take place during winter, and now I must roll with that timeline. Also, it’s my birthday so legally no one is allowed to give me shit for writing a Valentine’s Day fic in the middle of summer. Enjoy!</p><p>(Not beta-read, so all mistakes are my own)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sokka is stressed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe not completely stressed. He’s definitely been more stressed out before, and he definitely has more important things to worry about. But, </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>particular thing involves Zuko and so Sokka’s gonna be stressed about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not that being with Zuko causes him unnecessary stress, not at all. Being with Zuko, spending time with him, talking to him, </span>
  <em>
    <span>dating him,</span>
  </em>
  <span> even just </span>
  <em>
    <span>thinking </span>
  </em>
  <span>about him, makes Sokka happier than he’s been in a while. The stress part comes in from him wanting to make sure things stay good between him and Zuko so they can continue to make each other happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katara thinks he’s being stupid for stressing. Aang is too kind to ever say that anyone is stupid, but he also thinks Sokka is overreacting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Valentine’s Day is soon, and Sokka is going to stress about it no matter what they say. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(“It’s still January,” Katara reminds him. “You guys have time to talk about what you’re gonna do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I want whatever we do to be perfect!” he says. “This can set the tone for the rest of our relationship!”)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka and Zuko have only been dating for a month and a half, which isn’t really that long, but it </span>
  <em>
    <span>feels </span>
  </em>
  <span>so much bigger than that. Sokka likes Zuko so much it’s unreal. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Not love,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he tells himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Not love, not yet. It’s too soon for that. </span>
  </em>
  <span>But it could so easily turn into love if he let himself. It’s so easy to care about Zuko, to let himself fall deeper and deeper with every moment they spend together. Everything about Zuko makes Sokka feel all warm and soft and </span>
  <em>
    <span>cared about</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Sokka’s always been a caretaker in one way or another, his biggest love language is being able to take care of the people he cares about and the people he cares about </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanting him</span>
  </em>
  <span> to take care of them. Sure, how that caretaking happens varies on the person, but the core of it is the same. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But being with Zuko might be the first time that Sokka has felt so blatantly cared for right back in a relationship. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko shows he cares through his actions, which is something Sokka is very into. He’s learned that Zuko’s not very good with his words upfront. When it’s important, he needs time to work through whatever it is he wants to say, and sometimes even then he can’t get it to come out right, so he resorts to actions instead. Sokka likes that he’s important enough to Zuko that he actively tries to get his words to come out right. (Sokka likes, even more, when Zuko says things without thinking too hard about them because that’s when the sweetest stuff comes out that makes Sokka swoon like a Victorian woman.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Zuko shows he cares through his actions. He brings Sokka tea and coffee when they hang out before work in the mornings, he makes sure Sokka eats breakfast and has water, he sic’s Katara after him to make sure he takes at least one break during the day, he holds Sokka’s hand whenever they go out, he asks Sokka to text him to make sure he gets home safe from places (those texts usually turn into phone calls because Sokka is helpless and loves Zuko’s voice). Sokka always gets a hug or kiss or both when they say goodbye, he picks up little things and gives them to Sokka “because it reminded me of you”, and a million other little things that make Sokka’s heart burst with affection. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka tries to show he cares about Zuko in those ways as well since those are things that seem to mean a lot to Zuko. Sokka knows that he’s more of a talker than Zuko is; Sokka can dole out verbal affection just as much as he can physically. He loves it, being able to say something that puts his partner at ease, that brings them closer together. He gets the feeling that </span>
  <em>
    <span>words </span>
  </em>
  <span>sometimes make Zuko uncomfortable, so, while he doesn’t hold them back, really, he doesn’t rely on words alone, either. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Sokka has a hypothesis that Zuko loves the verbal affection Sokka will sometimes shower him in, he just gets uncomfortable because he can’t really do it back. But as long as Zuko still winces when Sokka compliments him, Sokka’s not going to push. He has exactly zero desire to make Zuko any kind of uncomfortable, so his experiments will have to wait.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, Sokka does the whole actions thing, too. He pulls Zuko into hugs when he sees him, grabs for his hand if Zuko doesn’t do it first, he and Zuko take turns planning dates, he gives Zuko rides home so he doesn’t have to take the bus. Once, he brought Zuko flowers when he picked him up for a date and Sokka thought he was going to combust, he got so red. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka does have one extra trick up his sleeve, though. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka uses his baking as a love language just as much as anything else. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka’s pretty sure Valentine’s Day can be considered a major food/desert holiday, so he’s banking on this to carry him through. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All he needs to do is figure out which treat Zuko likes best so he can make special ones for Valentine’s Day. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>____________</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka already knows that Zuko likes his curd puffs, that they remind him of baking with his mom and sneaking into the kitchen to steal treats with his cousin before everything in his life went to shit. And while that’s a good start, and Sokka is glad that something he bakes can bring Zuko back to happier times, Sokka’s looking for something without such a heavy and sometimes depressing emotional attachment to it. Especially for a romantic holiday like Valentine’s Day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(“Valentine’s Day isn’t even a real holiday,” Katara complains when they go grocery shopping one day to see stores already covered in red and pink hearts and more glitter than he would think possible. “It’s corporate-driven and so capitalist it’s crazy. It comes right after the holiday boom, when people are already short on money and tells you that if you don’t buy your loved one an expensive gift, then you don’t really love them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Katara, please, we’re literally in the middle of a Whole Foods,” Sokka says. “I agree, but please, wait until we’re in the car.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the grocery store, Sokka picks up some extra ingredients so he can start experimenting with recipes.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>____________</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s January seventeenth, and Sokka has a little under a month to figure things out. Zuko had texted him last night that he was opening The Jasmine Dragon this morning, and that he’d be there around five. Sokka is mentally prepared to broach the Valentine’s Day subject, as well as have Zuko try out his first treat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first treats that Sokka has are vanilla and raspberry macarons; vanilla with raspberry cream, and raspberry with vanilla cream. He’d thought about making an espresso one as well since Zuko loves coffee (more than tea, which Uncle Iroh is heartbroken about, but Zuko remains firm), but decided that wouldn’t really fit with the Valentine’s Day theme. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka gets a call from Zuko at 5:10, and Sokka answers with a cheery, “Good morning, beautiful!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi,” Zuko’s voice comes through deep and scratchy and still tired, and Sokka’s knees go weak. “It’s too early to be talking to yourself. I was gonna ask if you wanted coffee or tea, but I think I have my answer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very funny, honey,” Sokka says, and then can’t help his snicker at the unintentional rhyme. Zuko sighs, but Sokka </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows </span>
  </em>
  <span>he’s laughing, too. “I want that spicy tea Uncle gave me the other day. I have no idea what it was called, he didn’t tell me, just told me to try it and now I’ve been craving it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm,” Zuko hums. “Spicy? We have a few different spicy ones. What else did it taste like?” Sokka can hear Zuko moving around in the tea shop's back room, and he smiles to himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, I’m not sure. It smelled kind of sweet, but when I tried it, it was like, sharp? Kinda spicy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I know which one you want,” Zuko says after a minute of him rustling around. “It’s jasmine and ginger with some mint, which is probably why you liked it, even if you can’t really taste the mint. Do you want honey or anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah, you’re all the sweet I need,” Sokka says, hoping Zuko can sense his smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Flirt,” Zuko mumbles. Sokka would bet he’s blushing. “I’ll see you in a few.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See ya.” Sokka hangs up the phone and gets back to work prepping some of the other bakes now that the macarons are done. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few minutes later, Sokka hears the bell above the main entrance ding and pokes his head out of the kitchen to see Zuko walking in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s wearing the same red sweater as the day Sokka asked him out, and damn it, he looks just as good now as he did then. His hair has gotten a bit longer, almost touching the tops of his shoulders, and while Sokka loves it down, the ponytail that Zuko’s got going on today, all windblown and little hairs falling into Zuko’s face, is really doing it for him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Zuko says, smiling at Sokka when he catches sight of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Sokka says back, coming forward and taking the mug from Zuko’s outstretched hand. With his other hand, he cups the side of Zuko’s face, pulling him closer and dropping a soft kiss to his lips. When he pulls away, Zuko’s eyes are still closed, a small smile on his face. He opens his eyes, and some of Sokka’s fondness must show on his face, because Zuko’s cheeks redden even more, and he breaks eye contact. Taking pity on him, Sokka grabs his hand and pulls him to the kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on,” he says. “I have something I want you to try.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” Zuko asks. When they make it into the kitchen, Sokka turns back to him and sees that Zuko’s mostly got his blush under control. “What is it? I feel like it’s a little too early for a lot of sugar.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nonsense,” Sokka says. “But you only need to try one of each, if you don’t want a lot of sugar. I made some bagels, earlier, if you want one. They’re in the warmer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Zuko says, kissing Sokka’s cheek on his way to the warmer. Great, now Sokka’s the one that’s blushing. “Try your tea and see how you like it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka takes a sip of the tea, groaning once it hits his tongue. It’s a perfect temperature, and the spice hits his tongue just right, and now that Zuko’s told him there’s mint in it, Sokka can recognize the familiar coolness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perfect,” he says, taking another drink. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” Zuko responds, coming back over to Sokka, bagel in hand. Zuko gets right up into Sokka’s space, brushing their shoulders together. “So, what do you want me to try?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I made Valentine’s Day macarons,” Sokka pulls the tray over to them, placing one of each in front of Zuko on a napkin. “Raspberry with vanilla cream, and vanilla with raspberry cream. Tell me how you like them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Already making Valentine’s Day stuff, huh?” Zuko swallows the bite of his bagel and takes a drink of his own coffee, before picking up one of the macarons. “I’ve never been happier that The Jasmine Dragon doesn’t do food than during Valentine’s Day, it’s bad enough during the holidays. I hope you’re prepared.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’ve been kind of stressed about it,” Sokka admits while Zuko takes a bite. “We’re already getting calls for special orders. I’m thinking about trying to convince Katara to close on the actual day, regardless of how much revenue we’ll get.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m no business person like Katara,” Zuko says, licking some stray cream from his thumb. Sokka doesn’t bother hiding his staring. “But I’d think that most of the Valentine’s Day business would come before the actual day, no? Wouldn’t most people order ahead if they wanted anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Katara thinks we’ll have a bunch of walk-ins,” Sokka watches as Zuko picks up the second macaron. “Couples wandering downtown, teenagers looking for some cheap sweets, stuff like that. I would hope anyone who wants anything big has the sense to pre-order. How are they? Do you like ‘em?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko raises an eyebrow at Sokka’s enthusiasm. “They’re really good,” he says. “Everything you make is good. I think I like the ones with the raspberry cream better, though. Not as sweet and the tang is nice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, fair,” Sokka says. “I forget sometimes you don’t really like overly sweet things. You really think everything I make is good?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I haven’t had a bad thing yet. You’re passionate and you put a lot of effort into this, of course you’re great at it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And </span>
  <em>
    <span>that’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>what Sokka means when he says that Zuko’s sweetest words come when he’s not thinking too hard about them because right now, Sokka swears his heart swells with how in-like he is with Zuko. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Sokka says softly. He wraps his arms around Zuko’s waist, pulling him into a hug and placing a kiss atop his head. “Means a lot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome. I mean it,” Zuko says hugging Sokka back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stay like that for a moment, before Sokka has to pull away to take something out of an oven. He moves the fresh croissants to the back counter to cool for a bit when he decides to bring up Valentine’s Day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speaking of Valentine’s Day,” Sokka says, aiming for casual. “Do you have any thoughts about what we should do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko looks at him in a slight panic, and while Sokka feels vindicated that he’s not the only one of the two of them worried about it, he immediately goes back to Zuko and pulls him close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hadn’t thought much about it,” Zuko says. “I’ve never spent Valentine’s Day with anyone, so I don’t really know? Does it have to be something big?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He’s never… Not with anyone? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Sokka is at a loss for words for a moment because Zuko is everything he’s ever dreamed of and the idea of other people </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>seeing that is mind-boggling to him. Zuko’s looking more nervous the longer he’s quiet, though, so Sokka needs to snap out of it and speak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t have to be something big, if we don’t want it to be,” Sokka manages. “It’s whatever we want it to be. It can be a regular date night, it can be an extravagant date night, or it could be nothing at all. It’s whatever we want it to be. No pressure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko hums, the anxious look slowly disappearing. He reaches out to Sokka, fiddling with the strings on his jacket, and resolutely staring at them instead of at Sokka when he says, “Maybe we do something simple? Date night at one of our places? Something private?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko is blushing by the time he finishes and Sokka has the desire to coo at him. “That sounds nice,” Sokka says. He tilts Zuko’s face up and kisses him, just because he can. “We can do that. Stay in, make dinner.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then, because Sokka can’t stop himself, “You’ve really never spent Valentine’s Day with a date before?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I haven’t.” Zuko looks embarrassed, and like he’s about to start getting defensive, and Sokka </span>
  <em>
    <span>does not </span>
  </em>
  <span>want Zuko to think that he’s judging him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna be honest, that makes me want to make this special for you,” Sokka admits. Zuko’s face flushes, and he buries his face in Sokka’s shoulder, mumbling something. “What was that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I said,” he mumbles a little louder. “That just being with you will be nice. Don’t need to do anything special.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A grin lights up Sokka’s face and he pulls Zuko closer. “Aw, Zuko. Still want to make it nice, though. Maybe I’ll get one of those expensive bottles of wine, or fancy boxes of chocolate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sokka, we are twenty-three and twenty-four, respectively. We don’t need to buy fancy stuff,” Zuko argues. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hush,” Sokka says, still smiling stupidly. “If I want to spoil you with a fancy bottle of wine or a fancy box of chocolate, I will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Compromise,” Zuko offers. “I’ll get the fancy wine, since it’s kind of adjacent to tea, and you get the fancy chocolate since it’s a dessert. And then we don’t have to stress about </span>
  <em>
    <span>gifts </span>
  </em>
  <span>or shit like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Deal,” Sokka agrees, kissing Zuko again </span>
  <em>
    <span>because he can, absolutely wild</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Reluctantly, he pulls back from Zuko after. “I’m sure you’ve gotta go soon. Here, I’ll pack up some of the macarons that you liked and some stuff for later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko sighs dramatically but lets Sokka pull away from him. Sokka packs Zuko a to-go box, washes out their empty mugs, and packs those up as well. He walks Zuko back out to the front, pausing at the door to wrap Zuko in another hug. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, have a good day, don’t yell at too many customers, all that jazz,” Sokka says, swaying Zuko back and forth in his arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll yell at however many customers I want,” Zuko says. “I’ll be back to make you take a lunch break, I brought extra food.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’ll look forward to it,” Sokka kisses Zuko one last time before saying goodbye and watching Zuko walk back to The Jasmine Dragon. He goes back to the kitchen feeling light and happy from their talk. Sokka looks towards the macarons on the counter and contemplates for a moment before he decides he’ll have to keep trying. He got a good reaction, but he thinks he can do better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Back to the drawing board. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>____________</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next thing Sokka has Zuko try is decidedly Not Good to Zuko.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In hindsight, Sokka should’ve known that Zuko wouldn’t like a s'mores tart, since it has such a sweet base, but Sokka had hoped that the crust would offset the sweetness of the marshmallow and chocolate. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was wrong. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>January is almost over, it’s the twenty-seventh, and Sokka has two and a half weeks before Valentine’s Day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka doesn’t have time for mistakes like this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The way Zuko’s face screws up when he takes a bite, while hilarious, makes Sokka’s heart sink. Zuko looks unhappy about it but also determined to finish the treat before Sokka stops him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zuko, you hate it, you don’t have to finish it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I took a bite,” he argues. “It would be wasteful not to finish it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I appreciate your mindset, but I’m not making you finish it when you so clearly didn’t like it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrible</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Zuko hedges, but doesn’t fight when Sokka takes the tart out of his hands. “It’s just </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>sweet. Aang will love it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But I’m not trying to make something Aang will love, I’m trying to make something </span>
  </em>
  <span>you</span>
  <em>
    <span> will love</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Sokka thinks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can say you don’t like it, Zuko. I should’ve known it wouldn’t really be your speed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka knows his disappointment shows, because Zuko grabs at Sokka’s face, making him look at him. Zuko kisses him, deep and long, and steals all of Sokka’s breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe I don’t really like it,” he whispers when he pulls back. “But that doesn’t reflect badly on you as a baker. People are gonna eat this up because even though it’s not my favorite, it still tastes </span>
  <em>
    <span>good.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Don’t be so hard on yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Sokka whispers back, losing himself in the earnestness in his eyes. “I’ll try.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s not until after Zuko leaves and Sokka is alone in the bakery’s kitchen, that he realizes he lost a perfect opportunity to ask Zuko what his favorite treat is. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>____________</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s February eighth, and Sokka’s ready to try another recipe out on Zuko. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s recovered from his previous blunder, has made up for it by baking Zuko some savory tarts instead. And while those are a hit, Sokka’s still determined to find a dessert that Zuko loves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next sweet that Sokka decides to try are brownie bites. Blue Moon Bakery technically already has brownies, but they’re big and have chunks of chocolate in them. And anyway, Sokka doesn’t think that Zuko’s ever tried them or would like them, for that matter. Besides, he’s going for a different vibe with these ones. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The new ones he’s making are made with dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. And because Sokka’s extra, they have caramel stripes running through them with a sprinkle of sea salt on top. The right amount of bitter and sweet, and because Sokka uses a different recipe than their regular brownies, they’re more moist and the caramel only adds to it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He may have also cut them into little hearts, hence the ‘brownie </span>
  <em>
    <span>bites</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ bit, but that’s neither here nor there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(He does make a batch without the caramel, too, though. Just in case Zuko thinks it’s too sweet.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko hadn’t opened The Jasmine Dragon today, he’s taken over working the mid-shift for Jin this week while she recovers from her cold, so Sokka is limited in the times he can go visit. They haven’t seen each other in a few days, what with how busy the bakery is getting as Valentine’s Day grows nearer, so Sokka feels perfectly validated in trying to go see Zuko for a little bit today. He’d texted Zuko earlier to ask if he could drop by during his lunch break to have him try a new recipe (no reason to act like that’s not what he wants), but he hasn’t gotten a response yet. He assumes that Zuko hasn’t had time to look at his phone, so he doesn’t stress about it. Zuko always responds to his texts eventually and he’s working right now, so Sokka’s not expecting an immediate response. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure enough, maybe an hour or so later, he gets a text back from Zuko.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Zuko 🍵: Hey, I’m on break now. If you want to come by, my lunch is at 2:30. What is it you want me to try now?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sokka: I made a new brownie recipe! It’s dark chocolate, so I felt like you might like it</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>There, nice and simple and not at all as if Sokka altered this new recipe with Zuko specifically in mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Zuko 🍵: Hm, that sounds really good, actually. I’ll see you soon, then. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>They text a little bit more before Zuko has to go back out to the front. Sokka stops his impromptu break as well and gets back to work. He takes a refill tray of muffins out to the front, a definite spring in his step. Katara rolls her eyes at his sudden burst in good mood, but she also gives him an indulgent smile and a teasing, “Say hi to Zuko and Uncle Iroh for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t want me to talk to Aang if he’s there?” Sokka teases back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katara rolls her eyes for real this time. “He’s not working today, he’s got class. Oh, and before I forget, we’re going out for dinner tonight, so don’t wait up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll wait up for however long I want,” Sokka says haughtily. “Just because Aang is a nice, respectable young man, and you are more than capable of taking care of yourself, doesn’t mean I can’t still wait up for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then, just to cement his status as annoying older brother, Sokka pulls Katara into a tight hug, her arms trapped at her sides, and nuzzles into her hair. “You’re my baby sister! You can’t expect me not to wait for you to come home from your date!” Sokka </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely </span>
  </em>
  <span>says it loud enough for the customers to hear; some of them are laughing softly or wincing in commiseration with Katara. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get off me,” Katara grunts out as she tries to wiggle away from him. She manages to jab him between the ribs, somehow, and Sokka jumps back from her with a yelp. “Get back in the kitchen. We need more of the macarons, apparently, they’re a hit and we’re almost out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On it!” Sokka salutes her, escaping to the kitchen before she can do any lasting damage to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He works until 2:15, baking restocks of things and prepping for the next day, when he stops to get ready to head to The Jasmine Dragon. He packs up two to-go boxes, one with the brownies, and one with some extra treats for Uncle Iroh and whoever else is working today. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Just because Uncle Iroh likes him, and approves, doesn’t mean that Sokka’s going to slack off in buttering the man up to him. Zuko loves his uncle </span>
  <em>
    <span>so much</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and Sokka knows that Uncle Iroh loves Zuko just as much, if not more. So Sokka is going to do anything in his power to make sure Uncle Iroh keeps a good opinion of him.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka goes into the restroom in the back, washing his hands and checking to make sure his clothes don’t have flour or anything on them. Sokka has a plethora of different aprons, but he’s gotten covered in flour before anyway, so it’s best to check. He redoes his hair, pulling back any loose strands. Satisfied, he heads back out, grabbing his coat and his boxes, calling out to Katara as he leaves the shop. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The walk to The Jasmine Dragon is quick, and Sokka walks through the entrance a few minutes before 2:30. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks around but doesn’t see Zuko immediately, so he decides to get in line and order a drink, just in case Zuko’s still busy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sokka, my boy,” he hears called out. Sokka looks around, only just noticing that Uncle Iroh is behind the counter. Iroh waves him forward, giving him a wide smile. “Zuko mentioned that you would be dropping by during his lunch break. He just went into the breakroom, feel free to head back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Uncle! These are for you, by the way,” Sokka says, smiling brightly and holding up one of the boxes. “There are some of the tarts are curd puffs that you like and some other stuff for whoever else wants it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, you are too good to me,” Iroh says, taking the box Sokka hands him. “Now go and see my nephew before he comes out to investigate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka makes his way into the back after shooting Uncle Iroh one more of his most charming smiles, walking through the swinging door leading to the back of the shop. He enters the breakroom and sees that Zuko is the only one in there, silently eating a sandwich as he reads something on his phone. He looks up when he hears Sokka enter, and grins at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey there, stranger,” Sokka says, placing the box in the table, and leaning over Zuko to give him a quick greeting kiss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi,” Zuko says. He pulls out the chair next to him, gesturing for Sokka to sit down. “How are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m doing great,” Sokka says happily. “You? Any problems today?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm, no, no problems. Today’s been a good day so far.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, hopefully, your day’s about to get a little bit better,” Sokka says, pulling his box of treats closer. “I made two different batches, so let's see which one you like better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s the difference?” Zuko asks, peering into the box. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“These ones,” Sokka explains, putting one in front of Zuko. “have caramel and sea salt in them. The other ones are just dark chocolate, with no add-ins.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko hums, putting down the rest of his sandwich to pick up the first brownie. “You’ve been making a lot of new stuff lately. The whole Valentine’s Day thing is getting to you, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe a little,” Sokka says. “But it’s fun to play with the new recipes and see what works and what doesn’t. And Valentine's Day gives me an excuse to experiment. It’s just luck that I have a cute boyfriend to try my recipes on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, is that why you’re dating me? So I can be a guinea pig for your recipes? This is good, by the way,” Zuko says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you like it?” Sokka asks excitedly. And then, “No! That’s not why I’m dating you, you know that! I like to bake things for you cause I </span>
  <em>
    <span>like you. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Not the other way around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko’s smiling softly at him, reaching over to squeeze his hand. “I know, I was just teasing. The caramel’s kind of sweet, but not too bad. The regular brownie is really good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So the caramels a no-go?” Sokka, maybe just a little disappointed in himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, it’s good. Everything you make is good. I would probably only eat a couple, but I’m sure people will love them,” Zuko tries to reassure him. “Plus, the heart shape is a nice touch. It’s cute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka grumbles a little bit but lets it go. He spends the rest of Zuko’s lunch break there with him, just talking. When Zuko’s lunch ends and he’s got to get back to work, he makes Sokka a cup of tea to take back with him, plus one for Katara. Sokka leaves the brownies there since he had only brought a couple of each anyway, so it’s not really a loss of revenue to leave them. Zuko doesn’t let him pay for the tea, even though he tries, (“If you don’t let me pay for the desserts, you don’t pay for the tea.”). Sokka accepts the cups with a quick goodbye kiss, before going back to the bakery.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So, brownies are not really a hit</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Sokka thinks. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Back to the drawing board once again. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>____________</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valentine’s Day comes and Sokka is confident in what he’s decided to bake for Zuko. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s gathered all knowledge from his previous attempts and what he knows about Zuko, and Sokka thinks he’s come up with the perfect bake. Sokka knows Zuko doesn’t like things that are overly sweet. He doesn’t have a problem with sugar, per se, but when all he can taste is sugar, that’s when Zuko’s got a problem with it. He likes things that taste naturally sweet without too much added sugar, like Sokka’s tarts or curd puffs. Natural flavoring but with a touch of added sugar to highlight. Zuko likes things that have a strong flavor to them, as long as that flavor isn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>straight sugar</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He likes things that have a little kick, a little surprise to them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, Sokka has decided to make him something completely new. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka is making a spiced muffin with a light vanilla glaze. The muffin itself will have very little sugar to it, more focused on the spices; ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, the whole shebang. Kind of like if a gingerbread cookie was turned into a muffin. The vanilla glaze that Sokka is going to sparingly top the muffins with is a simple glaze; sugar, water, and just a bit of vanilla. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka doesn’t really have a recipe for this particular bake. He took his usual muffin recipe base, cut some of the sugar, and started adding spices until he came up with a mix he liked. The glaze went much the same, with him trying different flavor profiles before deciding that the slight vanilla one complimented the muffins the most. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s practiced this bake so many times that Sokka is confident that Katara won’t want any muffins again for at least a month or two, but Sokka thinks it’s paid off. The muffins taste good; they’re not too sweet but they still have some sweetness to them, and he’s sure that Zuko will love them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Over the past few days, Sokka and Zuko have finalized their plan for Valentine’s Day. (They’re both the type to need to plan things out fully. Sokka may be a bit more spontaneous, down to do things at a moment’s notice when things like that stress Zuko out, but when it comes to important things, they both want a solid plan.) Katara is going to be at Aang’s for their Valentine’s date since Aang lives in a little apartment close to campus with just him and his animals, so Sokka and Zuko will have the place to themselves. Zuko will get there around six, they’ll make dinner, have dessert (Sokka </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>end up buying one of those ridiculously expensive boxes of chocolate, and he knows Zuko got a fancy bottle of wine, too), and then see where the rest of the night takes them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka makes a fresh batch of the muffins in the early evening before Zuko is set to show up so they’re nice and fresh. He doesn’t put the glaze on yet since he doesn’t want it to solidify. He does one last check through of his kitchen to make sure he has all the ingredients for the dinner recipe they’re going to try and make before going to get ready. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka may have already showered this morning, but that’s not going to stop him from showering again (he got sweaty baking! He has to!). He makes this one quick, but thorough, using the new body wash he got that’s supposed to smell like the ocean. He gets out, heading to his room and thanking everything that he had the good sense to ask Katara for help picking out an outfit days ago. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s wearing a pair of black slacks, the fancy tailored pair he’d worn during his college graduation, and a dark blue short-sleeved button-up. He’d tried to argue that the short-sleeves were too casual, but Katara had shut him up with a “Sokka, one of your best features is your arms. You’re muscled. No long-sleeves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka had not argued. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He debates for a minute before deciding to leave his hair down for now. It’s still wet, and if he puts it in a tie now it’ll dry weirdly. Plus, he’s been told before that he looks good with his hair down, and this is as good a time as any to see if Zuko likes it. (If Zuko likes his hair down half as much as Sokka likes </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>hair down, Sokka might just be about to discover a new secret weapon). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He finishes getting ready by 5:30 and tries not to get anxious about Zuko arriving soon. He busies himself by straightening up the living room one last time, rearranging and fluffing pillows until he can’t think of anything else to do, and lets himself flop down, pulling out his phone. Zuko had texted him earlier, confirming that he was still on track to be there by six, and Sokka kills time by rereading their messages, smiling like a fool the entire time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he knows it, there’s a knock on the door, and Sokka is scrambling up, rushing to the door. He takes one last look at himself in the mirror hanging by the door, running a hand through his hair. Sokka takes a deep breath and opens the door to reveal Zuko, standing there holding a bottle of wine and looking adorably nervous when he catches Sokka’s eye. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko’s wearing an outfit similar to what Sokka’s wearing. Zuko’s got on a pair of black slacks, fitted to his body. He’s wearing a red dress shirt and the sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, making it look less formal than it would otherwise. And his </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking hair</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Sokka swears his soul leaves his body for a second. Zuko’s hair is in a half up/half down do, and the half that’s up is in a </span>
  <em>
    <span>bun, holy shit how is he so adorable and so beautiful at the same time?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>When Sokka stops </span>
  <em>
    <span>ogling him, get your shit together, Sokka! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Sokka takes in Zuko’s face noticing how Zuko’s checking him out just as much. “Hi,” Zuko says, sounding just as breathless as Sokka feels.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Feeling a little more confident, Sokka steps back from the door, motioning for Zuko to come in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi, come in, please,” Sokka says, trying to sound confident. Zuko brushes past him as he enters the apartment, breaking eye contact as he does.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They interrupt each other as they try to speak at the same time. Sokka laughs and Zuko’s cheeks redden. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Zuko says. “You first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka moves closer to Zuko, placing his hands on Zuko’s waist. “I was just saying, you look really good. Red is </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely </span>
  </em>
  <span>your color, babe.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Zuko murmurs out, cheeks blushing even harder. He reaches up to tug on Sokka’s collar, looking down to watch his hand instead of looking at Sokka. “I was gonna say that you look great. Your hair looks good down, I’ve never seen it like that before. Looks good. And blue is definitely your color, just for the record.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka can’t help but smile at just how </span>
  <em>
    <span>wonderful </span>
  </em>
  <span>Zuko is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Sokka says. He moves one of his hands from Zuko’s waist, cupping his face, and pulling him into a long kiss. Zuko’s hand wanders up to Sokka’s neck, one hand ruffling the ends of his hair. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hair down is a win,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sokka thinks, a smile taking over his lips, making it a bit difficult to continue kissing Zuko. Sokka pulls back, still smiling. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on,” he says, motioning for Zuko to toe-off his shoes and then tugging him into the kitchen. “Are you hungry? I think I found a recipe that we’ll like and shouldn’t be </span>
  <em>
    <span>too </span>
  </em>
  <span>difficult to make.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? What kind of recipe did you find?” Zuko asks. Once in the kitchen, Sokka takes the bottle of wine from Zuko, putting it in the fridge to chill. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here, take a look,” Sokka opens his laptop that’s sitting on one of the counters, pulling up the recipe. “It’s a spicy teriyaki noodle dish. Kind of like the one from the noodle place downtown. It can’t be too hard, right? I made sure I have all the ingredients and everything!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko hums, nodding his head along to Sokka as he reads through the recipe. “Sokka, this recipe wants us to make our own noodles. Please tell me you bought noodles.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… did not,” Sokka says. “I figured, between the two of us, it couldn’t be that difficult. Plus, I’m a baker so making a noodle dough can’t be that hard, and you’re meticulous and good at following instructions, so the technical stuff shouldn’t be too hard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sokka, neither of us can really cook and you’ve chosen a pasta dish from scratch as our meal. You’re a baker, not a chef, and I can make like, four dishes total and they all consist of some kind of meat cooked with some vegetables.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Sokka says, not feeling quite as confident as before. “Do you think we can do it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, we’re going to do it,” Zuko says, determined. “The question is; will it taste good?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a risk I’m willing to take. If all else fails, we have fancy chocolate and wine and delivery is a thing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>____________</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In theory, making a homemade noodle dish isn’t that difficult. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The difficulty comes after the two of them have washed their hands and laid out all the ingredients necessary, and they’ve started making the pasta dough. Sokka has dug out a few different aprons that he owns, giving Zuko one that has little baby animals all over it, and keeping the one that says, ‘kiss the chef’ for himself. Zuko gives him a funny look, but he presses a kiss to Sokka’s cheek nonetheless. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka puts on one of his playlists that he made sometime after their second date when Sokka was full of soft, gooey emotions and feeling head over heels for Zuko, and they get to work. They work together chopping all the vegetables first, giving them a small mountain of carrots, cabbage, peppers, onions, and any other vegetables that they deem necessary. The vegetable cuts are uneven and not at all uniform and Zuko laments that they won’t all cook evenly now, but he’s laughing at Sokka’s struggle to cut a carrot when it keeps slipping out of his hands. They’re singing along to the music, talking about everything and nothing, and shooting each other smiles and not even bothering to hide their blatant staring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(“Uncle said he had a date tonight, and honestly? I’ve never </span>
  <em>
    <span>not wanted </span>
  </em>
  <span>details so much in my life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Uncle, get it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sokka, no.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m wondering if I should be concerned about how confidently and comfortably you’re holding that knife, Zuko.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re worried now, maybe I </span>
  <em>
    <span>won’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>show you my swords.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have a sword?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Swords. Plural. I have two.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck, I wanna see. My sword is at my dad’s place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You </span>
  </em>
  <span>have a sword?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, just the one, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, you learn something new every day.”)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They move on to making the noodles, which poses the biggest challenge. Making the dough isn’t hard; it’s actually pretty easy and something that Sokka feels confident doing. Sokka throws pinches of flour at Zuko for doubting him, and Zuko throws the flour right back with an, “Oh yeah? How are we gonna roll it out and make the actual noodles? I don’t see a pasta roller around here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, shit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, new plan,” Sokka says, brushing a bit of flour off Zuko’s cheek and then giving himself a quick pat-down. “We completely clear off the island here, since it’s the widest space. We flour the whole thing, and then we’ll roll out the dough as thin as we can, and then cut it with knives.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko nods along with him, surveying the kitchen island that is currently covered in their supplies and piles of chopped vegetables. “Alright, we can probably work with that. The dough has to sit for like, thirty minutes anyway, so we can clean up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka covers the bowl of dough with a damp cloth and moves it over by the stove where there’s not as much clutter. They clean up the counter, moving the vegetables from their piles to a bowl, and they put that by the stove as well. They put the cutting boards and dirty dishes into the sink, where Sokka begins washing them, handing them to Zuko to dry, taking their time so as to give the dough enough time to rest. They put the now clean dishes away, wiping down the counter one last time before flouring the entire surface. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka dumps the dough in the middle of the island, flours up his rolling pin, and begins rolling out the dough. Zuko watches, offering small compliments and encouragements of “hey this looks like it might work” and “good job, it looks really even and not all lumpy.” Sokka gets the dough as thin as he can, but it gets to a point where it won’t really go anymore, even though it’s definitely still too thick. Sokka says as much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it looks good,” Zuko argues. “For doing it all by hand this is probably actually really good. And what's the worst that’s gonna happen? We have some thicker noodles? Not really a big deal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure I like it, still. I’ll have to get one of those pasta rollers because now my pride is hurt,” Sokka argues. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sokka,” Zuko says, hands framing Sokka’s face and forcing Sokka to meet his eyes. “You were trying to do the work of a machine by hand. You did good. It looks good. Now, do you want to cut the pasta into normal, noodle-like strips, or cut them in shapes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>God, Sokka is so in-like with him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we do both?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can do whatever we want. I’m not sure how they’ll cook if they’re in wild shapes, but nothing’s stopping us from making them all swirly or wavy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like the way you think.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka puts his engineering degree to good use by cutting the noodles into interesting spiral shapes, though he tries to keep them all the same width so they cook evenly. Zuko takes charge of making the regular looking noodles. (Sokka’s heart trips all funny at how Zuko keeps looking over Sokka’s shoulder to watch him and the soft smile that seems to be permanently on his face). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the end, they have a very large pile of noodles, way more than either of them can eat in one sitting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really hope this tastes good because this is too much food to just throw out,” Sokka says as he’s filling a pot with water and Zuko is preparing to start cooking the vegetables. “Even if it sucks, we’ll have to eat it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even if it sucks, we’ll eat it,” Zuko agrees, putting some olive oil in the pan to start sauteeing the vegetables. Figuring the vegetables are in good hands, Sokka puts the pot to boil, and starts making the sauce that everything is supposed to be finished in. He mixes together spices and sauces into a small bowl, the sauce turning a slight red color. He tastes it, letting out a sharp breath at the heat tickling his tongue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here, taste the sauce,” he says, holding out a spoon with a bit of the sauce to Zuko, who doesn’t take the spoon himself, but lets Sokka hold it up to his mouth. Zuko smacks his lips a little as he tastes, nodding his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s good,” he says. “Do you think it’s too hot?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Sokka asks, not yet willing to admit that he thinks it’s a little spicy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>don’t,” Zuko says. “But I feel like you might, so you can add some more teriyaki sauce and see if that doesn’t mellow it out a little bit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, thank you, I really wanted to try and tone it down.” Zuko laughs at him, but Sokka thinks he’s the real winner because not only does he get to fix the damned spicy sauce, but he also made Zuko laugh, which is always a win. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka adds enough of the noodles for the two of them to the now boiling water, adding a mixture of his and Zuko’s, and Zuko sets the now cooked vegetables to the side so they don’t burn or turn to mush. The noodles cook, more or less, and they get added to the vegetable pan, where they get sauteed and mixed with the vegetables for a minute before the sauce is added and it’s all moved around the pan to meld together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finished, Sokka gets out two bowls, filling them with the dish and some fresh vegetables on top. Zuko gets the wine out of the fridge, pouring them both a glass and also getting them cups of water. They move to the table, and Sokka doesn’t even hesitate to put their places next to each other, rather than on opposite ends of the table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dish itself is fine. The vegetables are cooked just enough regardless of their uneven cuts, and the noodles are uneven and a bit overcooked, but the sauce is good (Sokka ignores how Zuko adds more spice to his), and the flavors work really well together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka thinks it might be one of the best things he’s ever tasted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After they eat, they carry their dishes back to the sink, washing everything up, moving the leftovers to a tupperware bowl, and letting the pan sit in some hot soapy water before attempting to wash it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka pours them each another glass of wine, pulling out the fancy box of chocolates, and casually saying, “I made a dessert, if you want to try it. Or we can wait, if you’re not really hungry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sokka, we ate noodles and vegetables. I’m not hungry, but I would not say no to one of your desserts,” Zuko says with a smile and takes his glass from Sokka’s hand. “What did you make?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly full of nervous excitement, Sokka puts his things down, pulling out the muffins from where he’d hid them in the oven. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a spiced muffin. I’ll have to make the glaze real quick, since I didn’t want it to get messed up, but that’ll only take a minute,” Sokka says, putting the muffins on the counter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko leans over to smell them while Sokka gets the ingredients to make the glaze together. “They smell really good,” Zuko says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Sokka says, mixing the glaze together. “I hope you like them, I kind of made them with you in mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw,” Zuko says, a teasing smile on his face. “That’s cute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hush,” Sokka says, valiantly trying to fight the blush taking over his face. “Move out of my way, this part is an art.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko holds his hands up in surrender, taking a few steps back as Sokka starts drizzling the glaze over top of the muffins. “You carry the glasses, I’ll carry the muffins and fancy chocolate. We’ll move over to the sofa, maybe put on a movie or something.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gonna get crumbs on your sofa,” Zuko points out, but grabs the cups and follows Sokka anyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eh, we have a vacuum,” Sokka says, placing the tray of muffins on the low coffee table, and takes a seat at one end of the sofa, putting the box of chocolate in the middle when Zuko takes a seat on the other end. Sokka turns the TV on, flicking through the channels for a minute before settling on some innocuous reality show. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can put on whatever you want, or we can sit here and watch the drama of,” Sokka checks quickly. “Ooh, The Bachelor reruns.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh we have to watch The Bachelor reruns while we have fancy wine and chocolate,” Zuko says, taking a sip just to prove his point. Sokka snorts, grabbing the box of chocolate to fiddle with opening it, almost missing when Zuko reaches over to grab a muffin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A spiced muffin, you said? What’s the glaze?” Zuko asks, carefully peeling off the wrapper. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a warm spiced muffin with a light vanilla glaze,” Sokka answers, watching Zuko closely. Zuko nods, holding the muffin with one hand and taking a bite while trying to catch any crumbs with his other hand. Zuko’s eyes widen and his eyebrows raise as he chews, and Sokka tries to control his nerves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my god,” Zuko says, once he swallows his bite. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my god?” Sokka asks, trying desperately for casual. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sokka,” Zuko says seriously. “This may just be the best thing I’ve ever had.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Parts of Sokka light up that he didn’t even know </span>
  <em>
    <span>could </span>
  </em>
  <span>feel things, his whole body tingling with excitement. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” he asks, because he has to </span>
  <em>
    <span>be certain.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely,” Zuko confirms. “Everything you make is good, but wow, this is great. I didn’t even know a muffin could taste like this.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The widest smile takes over Sokka’s face, his insides feeling so warm and happy and </span>
  <em>
    <span>right</span>
  </em>
  <span>, as he watches Zuko take another bite of his muffin. Exerting self-control that he didn’t even know he had, Sokka waits for Zuko to finish the muffin and brush his hands off over the tray, before launching himself over the sofa and kissing Zuko like his life depends on it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko makes a surprised noise in the back of his throat, but he kisses Sokka back, adjusting himself so they can sit comfortably and still kiss. Sokka refuses to let go of him, only pulling back for a second to take in a breath before going right back to kissing him. Zuko’s hands make their way into Sokka’s hair, tangling his fingers through the loose strands and using his grip to pull Sokka closer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not that I’m complaining,” Zuko pants out when they finally pull back for more than a short moment. “But, what was that for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because,” Sokka says, still refusing to go far and burying his face in Zuko’s neck, placing a kiss there, too. “I’ve been trying </span>
  <em>
    <span>for weeks </span>
  </em>
  <span>to bake something that you love instead of just </span>
  <em>
    <span>like</span>
  </em>
  <span> and this is the best reaction I’ve gotten. I really wanted to make you something special. Baking is special and important to me, and so are you, so I wanted you to be a part of that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko looks a little shocked and a little overwhelmed and a little of something else that Sokka can’t make out, but then he’s pulling Sokka into a tight hug and it doesn’t even matter anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sokka, sweetheart,” Zuko says breathlessly against Sokka’s shoulder. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you. </span>
  </em>
  <span>I know it’s really important to you. I kind of figured you were up to something with how stressed you’ve seemed about the new stuff you’ve been baking, but I didn’t think </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>was why.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko sighs, and pulls back, looking Sokka in the eyes. “I’m not the best with words, but bear with me while I try, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka nods, holding onto one of Zuko’s hands, while he uses his other to fidget while he thinks. He doesn’t look at Sokka when he starts talking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know we haven’t been dating for long, only two months really, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still feel </span>
  <em>
    <span>right.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I know you care about me, and I hope you know I care about you. I can’t put into words how just, </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it makes me feel that you care enough to want to involve me in something that’s so important to you. I think I understand how you feel about baking. It’s special, and private, and connected to so many things that make it feel </span>
  <em>
    <span>safe</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Makes me feel, I don’t know, special I guess, that you want to share it with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honey,” Sokka says, tightening his grip on Zuko’s hand until Zuko looks up at him. “You are special to me. I was trying as much as I was because I wanted to show you that I think you are through something that’s important to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t really have anything like that, though,” Zuko says quietly after a moment of silence. “I can’t do that for you. Can’t show you that I care about you through things like that. I guess the tea shop is kind of like that for me. It’s important to me, I care a lot about it and what I do, and it’s a safe place for me, but I don’t think it’s the same.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zuko, I know you care about me,” Sokka says, a little shocked. “You show you care in a lot of different ways. You do these little things that I don’t even think you notice but they show that you pay attention to me and you care. You make me feel special just by being you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko scoots closer to Sokka, burrowing into his side and hiding his face in Sokka’s shoulder. They sit there like that for a few minutes, Zuko playing with one of Sokka’s hands while the other rubs patterns into Zuko’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fucking emotions,” Zuko mumbles suddenly, startling a laugh out of Sokka. “My therapist would be so proud.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, well, if the therapist will be proud, we must be doing something right,” Sokka laughs. “Let me know what he says if you end up talking about this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko hums, apparently done with talking for now, which is fine by Sokka. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He might be a talker, yeah, but emotions are still draining. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After some more time snuggling, they eventually shift off each other but don’t go far. Sometime during their emotions fest, the box of chocolates had gotten knocked to the floor, and Sokka reaches to pick it up while Zuko grabs their glasses of wine and another muffin. (It was expensive! Sokka’s not going to forget about it.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t give me a look,” Zuko mumbles, leaning back into Sokka’s side. “The muffins are really good. I’m gonna want these all the time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll gladly make them for you whenever you want,” Sokka promises.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They shift around on the sofa until they’re comfortably snuggled into each other; Sokka ends up sitting sideways, an arm slung around Zuko’s shoulder with Zuko in between Sokka’s legs and pressed up against his chest. Sokka turns up the volume of the TV a little, and they sit there, watching the latest bachelor fumble his way through love, snacking on chocolate and muffins, and finishing the bottle of wine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Sokka tries not to preen at how Zuko eats three muffins, even though they’re pretty big and he’s definitely not hungry.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka has a really good feeling that this Valentine’s Day is the first of many great ones to come. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Can you tell I'm really into cooking and baking and spend far too much time describing the process? Also, I’ve never had a macaron before, but they look amazing. I have, however, made dark chocolate brownies with caramel and sea salt, and they fucking slapped. If yall want recipes for anything I'm always down to talk about cooking/baking.</p><p>Links for the various crises going on in the world, and as always, wear a mask and vote!:<br/>Black Lives Matter petitions, donations, and other resources  <a href="https://t.co/ScNVY4VxD2?amp=1">here</a><br/>If you can’t donate, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlhfJSrlPNthnoD1XFDHzmdf6Mpt2pe-2&amp;feature=share">here’s</a> a youtube playlist where all the proceeds from the videos are being donated to BLM charities<br/>Yemen Crisis Links <a href="https://yemencrisis.carrd.co/">here</a><br/>Helping Lebanon Links <a href="https://helplebanon.carrd.co/">here</a><br/>COVID-19 and others (US specific):  <a href="https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/news/covid-19-resources-services-support">here</a> </p><p><a href="https://rejectscanon.tumblr.com/">Here’s</a> my tumblr if you want to peruse and enjoy</p></blockquote></div></div>
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